Message from Ancestors

While walking through a temple in Kyoto Japan, I discovered an ancient stone with some words inscribed upon it.  The stone is very old and I can sense the history by just looking at it. The text was written in an ancient version of the Japanese language - which made it impossible for me to transcribe. It had survived centuries of turmoils and it still stands strong today.  The written word is one of the most powerful inventions that human kind has created, as it is demonstrated here on this stone.  A message written a thousand years ago still speaking today...

In Kyoto, there are an abundance of old temples, shrines, and stones with ancient Japanese characters.  Although I was born and raised in Japan, they were very unique and interesting to me because there weren’t anything like this in my hometown of Hokkaido.  I enjoyed staying at an old Ryokan in Kyoto, eating Kaiseki cuisine, wearing a traditional Yukawa (similar to Kimono, but this is rather a lounge outfit).  Strolling ancient Kyoto was especially exciting.  On one hand, trying not to bump into massive number of tourist, on the other, taking part in a moment of zen.  This ancient stone somehow caught my attention. I  decided to capture it on canvas so I can bring myself back to this beautiful city.